Machine for the automatic cooling and heating of baby bottles and food



Sept. 21, 1948. J. M. BRUNING 2,449,874

MACHINE FOR THE AUTOMATIC COOLING AND HEATING OF BABY BOTTLES AND FOOD Flled March 22, 1946 Illllllnlll Illllil l ll I I I I I l I I I l ll.

Patented Sept. 21, 1948 MACHINE FOR FOOD 'rna .w'rom'rlo COOLING 1' AND unarmeor BABY BOTTLES AND flames Mllman Brnning, Mount Vernon, with. Application March 22, 1946, Serial No. 050,495

Claims. (crest-4) My invention relates to a unique arrangement and combination of .a refrigerating system, a heating system, a control system, and an intermittently rotated bottle or food support of novel construction and design, all operating within one overall enclosed container, and the arrangement and combination oi these various components resulting inan entirely new and useful machine; and the objects of my arrangement and combination of these components are, flrst,-to provide in one machine the elements necessary for the cooling and subsequent heating of one or more baby bottles and food to within a selective temperature .range;' second. to provid means whereby a number of successive feedings may be'automatically prepared for, without the usual inconveniences associated with individual and separate preparation of baby bottles and foodfor such successive feeding periods; third. to automatically bring and maintain the'baby bottle contents and food to a temperature suitable for infant feeding at the time selected for the next feeding, even though the machine's operator may be then asleep; and

fourth, to sound an audible alarm at the proper time thereby indicating that the bottle(s) and/or food are ready and that the preselected feeding time has arrived.

I attain these objects by mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is an elongated perspective section, notto scale, ofthe entire machine; Figure 2, a schematic of the control circuit and mechanism necessary for the automatic functioning of the machine. e

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

. I is the outside container, lined with heat insulating material 6. Within the container is a baby bottle or food support consisting of essentially radial vanes of heat insulated material ID, with retaining rings l2 composed of low heat transfer material, and with separate metallic bottoms ll individually secured to the vanes by a flange and screw'system IIA. v

The food support-vanes iii are connected with an 2 in the vertical direction and can be rotated with a minimum of effort.

Rotation of the food support is produced by rotation of its attached shaft heretofore described. To provide automaticw rotation, of this shaft, a toothed wheel 22 is firmly attached to said shaft,

and so-positioned that electrical operation of solenoid 2| will electro-magnetically draw plunger 21 further into the solenoid, will cause the pawl 26 to engage one of the teeth of wheel 23 and in turn will rotate the wheel and its associated shaft a desired amount, in the drawing as illustrated,'this rotation per step will be ninety (90) degrees. The

solenoid 28 is securely mounted by flange 28 to bearing support 30. During operation of solenoid plunger 21 retractile springs 25v attachedv to frame supports 24 were stretched, thus increasing their tension considerably. Pawl 26 is so hinged that it can bend inwardly toward the shaft, but cannot bend in'the opposite direction.

Thus, after plunger operation, and upon the deenergizing of solenoid 28, .the plunger 21 and pawl 26 are returned to their normal position by retractile springs 25.

The cover 3 is equipped'wi th knob 4 to facilitate handling. 'I'he'outer surface of cover is of metal or plastic, the choice not being pertinent to the correct operation of the machine. However, the underside of cover 3,'is of heat insulating material and when cover is in place this insulated material 8 is directly above and in very close essentially vertical shaft I6 which extendslonso that when the cover 3 is placed onthe' machine,

the shaft will ride in the upper bearing mounted in the cover. Thus, the shaft is securel oriented proximity to the upper edges of the food support vanes III. I

Beneath the food support vanes I0, is a double diaphragm l7, containing a cut away segment approximately equal in angular dimensions to the angular spacing of the radially disposed vanes Ill, directly above this diaphragm. The upper surface of diaphragm I1 is metallic, with an upturned flange or edge Ila to trap and hold moisture or water, etc., and this metallic topof diaphragm is piped to an external spigot or valve iii, to facilitate draining of condensate or of spilled liquids. The lower surface of diaphragm i1 is backed with heat insulation material 6. The diaphragm I1 is mounted immediately below and in ver close proximity to the food support bottoms I5.

The arrangement of 'food support vanes l0, cover 3, and diaphragm l1 result in dividing the cylindrical space between cover 3 and diaphragm l1 into segmental compartments which are heat insulated from each other and from other parts of the machine.' Y

One of these segmental compartments in .the normal position of the machine will always rest immediately above the cut away section of the diaphragm II. In this cut away space is mounted a heating coil 20, and its associated electrically insulated support ll. Whichever compartment is placed (by rotational functioning of shaft) above said heating coil 20. comes within the zone of influence of such heating coil, and such compartment is termed the "heating chamber." Heat is more perfectly sealed wi hin this chamber by the action of several iiexibl ,heat retaining flaps B, which are mounted upon members MA in turn attached to the inner wall of the container. The temperature within this heating chamber is crfiitrolled within narrow limits by thermostat I}, supported by strap 42A to mounting detail All compartments other than the heating chamber are collectively known as the cooling chamber. n the inner .wall of the machine, and within the space constituting the cooling chamher are mounted cooling coils 9, through which a refrigerant is pumped by refrigeration system I with its reducing valve is and other parts as needed for any typical refrigerating system.

Control mechanism located in control box II is schematically portrayed in Figure 2. No claim is made for this circuit, since the individual mechanisms are well established in engineering practice. However, the mechanisms required for the automatic functioning, timing and control of the basic machine heretofore described are as follows: A spring driven timing mechanism 4. controlled by timing selector 39 rotates drum 4' after a preselected interval set up within the timing mechanism 40. Drum contains a number of insulating segments and 'a number of metallic segments, the combination resulting in a multiple switch equivalent to three single pole single throw electrical switches, diagrammed as A, B and "C. The timing and sequence of circuit closures through the drum contacts are such that approximately thirty minutes before the time selected for the next feeding, contacts A will close for approximately ten seconds.

This completes a circuit for energizing solenoid 28, in turn causing the plunger and pawl arrange-- ment previously described to function and in turn, cause the food support vanes to be rotated an angular distance equal to their angular separation from each other. Thus, a compartment previously located in the cooling chamber is now brought within the zone of influence of heating coil 20. Simultaneously with or shortly after the closing of contacts A, contacts "B are closed and remain closed for approximately thirty minutes, during which'period the heating coil II is energized under control of thermostat 42. Thus, the heating chamber is brought to and maintained at a predetermined temperature within very narrow limits, this in turn resulting in the heating of the baby bottles or food now in the heating chamber and bringing the milk and/or food to a temperature proper for infant feeding. At the conclusion of the heating period of about thirty minutes, contacts "0 close for approximately ten seconds, during which time an alarm bell 48 is actuated to indicate that the food is at the proper temperature and that the preselected feeding time (set by timer 3.) has arrived. Con- .tacts "A, B and 450 open their respective circuits immediately after the respective ten seconds, thirty minute, and ten second intervals, due to the further rotation of 45 by the clockwork mechanism M.

To suspend the automatic features of the de- Power to the control circuit is connected through cord 31 and plug II which may be plugged into any volt A. C. or D. Cxsocket.

To operate the complete machine, the electric plug it is inserted into a convenient 110 volt socket, and the control switch I is thrown to automatic. The timer is is set for the next desired feeding time. Bottles of milk and food as desired are placed in the individual compartments now within and comprising the cooling chamber and the cover is placed on the machine. Nothing is placed in the heating chamber at this time unless an immediate heating is desired. With the control switch set on automatic. the refrigeration system will commence to function and will chill whatever material has been placed in the compartments within the cooling chamber. Approximately one-half hour before the time selected by timing mechanism 39 and 46 for the next feeding, the entire food support will automatically be rotated sufllcient to bring a previously cool compartment immediately above the heating coil 20.. This coil will now become automatically energized and will supply heat to the of the heating period, the alarm bell 43 will sound.

The user of the machine then lifts the cover, removes the milk bottle and food now heated, replaces cover and sets timer for next feeding period.

For convenience in carrying the machine,

- handle supports it are provided. Similarly, signal light 30 may be mounted-at any convenient location on the outer portion of the machine as desired.

I claim:

1. A machine for the automatic cooling and heating of baby bottles and food comprising a heat insulated container, a rotary support for the bottles mounted in said container, means dividing said support into compartments, refrigerant means for cooling the bottles in-certain of said compartments, heating means disposed in a station opposite one compartment, and means'for intermittently rotating said compartments to and past said heating station.

2. A machine for the automatic cooling and heating of baby bottles and food comprising an insulated container, a support mounted for rotary motion in said container and having a plurality of compartments therein adapted to individually receive the bottles, a heating station of substantially the width of one compartment over which the bottles are adapted to be successively brought by the rotary motion of said support, means for intermittently rotating said support by successive angular distance equal to the width of one of said compartments, and .refrigerant means for cooling all of said compartments except that at said heating station.

3.A machine for the automatic cooling and heating of baby bottles and food comprising an compartments are successively brought by said intermittently rotating means, means for insu-.

lating the compartment at the heating station from the other compartments, and refrigerant means in the cabinet for subjecting said othercompartments to its cooling action.

4. A machine for the automatic. cooling and heating of baby bottles and food as claimed in claim 3 characterized by the fact'that the com partments in said support are segmental, are accessible from their top portions for receiving and for the removal of the bottles, and have guard means at their outer portions.

5. A machine for the automatic cooling and heating of baby bottles and food according to claim 3 wherein the rotary support comprises substantially radial vanes of insulating material connected together at their circumferential portions by guard means and having their'upper portions open for the receiving and removal of the bottles.

6. A machine for the automatic cooling and heating of baby bottles and food as claimed in claim 3 in which the support is comprised of substantially radial insulated vanes and compartment bottoms of metal connecting the lower portions of said vanes.

'7. A machine for the automatic cooling and heating of baby bottles and food as claimed in claim 3 in which the side walls of the container carry inwardly projecting flexible insulating flaps disposed in the rotary path of the outer portions of said support.

8. A machine for the automatic cooling and heating oi. baby bottles and food as claimed in claim 3 in which a bottom diaphragm is carried in said container below said support having a cutaway portion opposite the heating station to receive said heating means.

9. A machine for the automatic cooling and heating of baby bottles and food as claimed in claim 3 in which a bottom diaphragm extends across the container just below said rotary support and has a segmental cut-away portion at the heating station to receive said heating means, said diaphragm having upstanding flanges at the edges of the cut-away portion rising in close proximity tosaid rotary support.

10. A machine for the automatic cooling and heating of baby bottles and food as claimed in claim 3, further comprising timing mechanism for causing the operation of said rotary support and-for energizing said heating means for a desired interval of time.

. 6 11. A machine for the automatic cooling and heating of baby bottles and food as claimed in claim 3, further comprising an alarm, and timing mechanism adapted to cause the rotary move- 5 ment of the support, the energizing of said heating means throughout a desired time interval and the subsequent actuation of said alarm following said time interval.

12. A machine for th automatic cooling and 1 heating of baby bottles and food as claimed in claim 3, further comprising automatic tempera-.

ture control means associated with said heating means at said heating station to maintain a selective range of temperature at said heating chamber and the compartment opposite the same.

13. A machine for the automatic cooling and heating of baby bottles and food as claimed in claim 3 in which an automatic timing device controls the step by step rotary motion of said support and the energizing and de-energizing of said heating means, a manual control for causing the step by step rotation of said support and the energizing and de-energiging of said heating means, means whereby either said manual or automatic controls may be put into operation,

and a lamp included with said manual control and illuminated thereby when said manual control is efiective, said lamp on the exterior of the container to both indicate that the device is on manual control and to give illumination for inserting and removing the bottles.

14. A machine for the automaticcooling and heating of baby bottles and food as claimed in claim 3, further comprising automatic mean for causing the step by step rotary movement of said support and for the energizing and de-energizing of said heating means, and timing mechanism related to said automatic means whereby the automatic functions of said 1 automatic means may be set in motion at a pre-selected future time.

15. A machine for the automatic cooling and heating of 'baby bottles and food as claimed in claim 3, further comprising an alarm, automatic 5 means for causing the step by step rotation of said support, the energizing and de-energizing of said heating means and the actuation of said alarm on the de-energizing of said heating means,

and time mechanism associated with said auto-. 5 matic means and settable to pre-selected future times for starting the operations of said automatic means to in sequence rotate the support, energize the heating means for a pre-selected time interval, de-energize said heating means and actuate said alarm,

JAMES MILMAN BRUNING.

file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Thomas May 24, 1932 Number 1,979,222 Goodwin Oct. 30, 1934 

